“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
It happens every Christmas! We gather the decorations and set up the trees and lights. And every year, without fail, I’ll plug in a strand of Christmas lights to discover that many of the lights… don’t! They worked LAST year when I put them away in the box. But now… nada! “What could have happened?” I wonder. And every year, without fail, I determine that THIS YEAR… I’ll figure it out!
Years ago I saw an infomercial defining the half-lit problem.. but with a solution! “With this tool you will be able to fix or repair ANY Christmas light issue!” The timing was perfect, so I bought one! It’s somewhere in one of my tool drawers. After giving false reason for hope over a few years, I finally gave up and threw it in there, determined to keep the promise to not touch it again! EVER!
I’m trying, I’m REALLY trying! I HAVE to let the Christmas half-lit, light problem go! But in looking for a picture to use for today, I mistakenly read the captions underneath! MANY had the hopeful subheading, “How to fix your broken Christmas lights!” Now, I can feel myself slipping backwards, being drawn to a hope that there MUST be a solution to half-lit lights! I have a sick need to FIND IT!
Pondering, this verse came to mind. It seems that The Creator of the Universe has the very same problem I have… ‘kind of.’ Since He created us to be lights, you’d think that He’d make us so that we’d ALWAYS light. But that just ain’t so! Because He IS Love, God HAD to build us with ‘Free-Will’ in our filament! Which is even MORE contrary and difficult than store bought Christmas lights.
Free-Will means I don’t HAVE to light, if I find reason NOT to, or simply WON’T! Reading His Word, from the Old Testament to the New, I see that He tried MANY different ways to force, sell, punish and even reward His potential ‘Half-lits’ to go ‘full on!’ But even the sacrifice of His own Son left the solution of a ‘Lit-Life’ in the hands and hearts of the lights themselves! Most… simply won’t!
The Gift of Christmas is God’s final attempt to a world of Half-lits. This is His LAST chance and attempt before God throws the Half-lits into the ‘never to be used again’ drawer and walks away for good. Every potential ‘Light of the World’ must make their decision… ‘On?’ or ‘Off?’ I am SO blessed that at this time of year, no matter the hardship or pain, I have His promises to keep me lit!
Are YOU a Light to the World? Are you Shining? Or do you need to have a conversation with your maker and find out how TO shine? Because He wants to ‘turn you on!’
